MARVEL COMICS FOR OCTOBER

Look for more October solicitations on Wednesday here in The Continuum.

GREEN ARROW -- AND MORE -- GUEST STAR ON SMALLVILLE

Look for Clark Kent to have plenty of super-hero company for the sixth season of The CW's Smallville.

Smallville executive producer Al Gough told The Continuum that Green Arrow will appear in several episodes this season.

"We are extremely psyched to introduce Oliver Queen on the show," Gough said. "The Green Arrow is one of the seminal figures in the DC Comics Universe. It will be exciting to explore this character over an arc of episodes rather than just one-and-out. "

Green Arrow will be played by Justin Hartley, who starred in the Aquaman pilot that The CW passed on. The character will be recruiting heroes and might serve as a potential love interest for Lois Lane.

Green Arrow won't be the only DC guest-star, Gough told The Continuum.

"Also, expect to see the return of Flash and Cyborg in the near future," he said.

Green Arrow's appearance on Smallville follows a similar announcement last week of Aaron Ashmore playing Jimmy Olsen.

In other Smallville news:

* Pictured above is Erica Durance, who plays Lois Lane, at The CW's TCA Party in Pasadena, Calif. Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.

* The sixth season of Smallville premieres on The CW on Thursday, Sept. 28.

MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and five- to six-page previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on August 9, CLICK HERE.

Titles include Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #15, Annihilation #1 and New X-Men #29.

Look for more Marvel First Looks on Wednesday here in The Continuum.

ONI PRESS LANDS MY NAME IS EARL

With its Comic-Con International panel scheduled for Saturday, Oni Press on Monday revealed some of its upcoming projects, including a licensed book based on the NBC comedy series My Name is Earl.

Hunter Covington, a writer on the television series starring Jason Lee, will be writing the comic book.

"When we first started talking to Fox about doing Earl comics, Hunter is one of the first names that came up," Oni Publisher Joe Nozemack said. "Hunter is the script coordinator for the show, a big comics fan, and the writer of one of my favorite Earl episodes, 'The Bountyhunter.' With a resume like that, I knew we had to get him involved in our new adventures of Earl and the gang."

According to Oni, other creators of Earl will be announced at Saturday's panel.

Oni also announced that The Apocalipstix, by Ray Fawkes and Cameron Stewart, will be publishing by Oni next year. The Apocalipstix are are the all-girl rock band of tomorrow and their adventures have previously appeared in the Toronto Comic Art Festival's Restival! anthology, as well as the digest jam book Rumble Royale.

"I've been trying to find a way to work with Cameron Stewart since about five seconds after I got hired on at Oni!² said Oni Press editor in chief James Lucas Jones. "But despite my efforts, the timing was never quite right. As soon as I heard that Cameron and the equally awesome Ray Fawkes were wanting to do more with the Mandy, Megumi, and Dot from the Apocalipstix shorts, I set out to convince them to do it here at Oni."

Also scheduled for release next year is Blood Red, a new graphic novel from Oni Press stalwart Ande Parks and artist Shawn Crystal.

"Earth colonizing Mars! A man with no stomach! Vengeance ! Oh, and Christian Fundamentalist terrorists!" Crystal said. "Ande has crafted a story that won't let you go until it's had its way with you and Iım bursting at the seams with excitement that I get to draw the sucker!"

The panel will also feature peeks at already announced projects from Brian Hurtt, Cullen Bunn and Corey Lewis, as well as announcements and first looks at new projects from Jim Massy, Robbie Rodriguez, Vasilis Lolos, Marc Guggunheim, B. Clay Moore, James Stokoe and others.

BOOM! STUDIOS LANDS WARHAMMER 40,000

Boom! Studios on Tuesday announced the launch of a comic-book series based on Games Workshop Group PLC's tabletop war game Warhammer 40,000.

"We are thrilled to be in business with one of the biggest powerhouses on the entertainment landscape worldwide," Boom! Studios publisher Ross Richie said. "Games Workshop is a truly innovative business manufacturing, distributing, and retailing their own product and creating some of the most exciting intellectual property to work on. This is going to herald a great new era for Boom!."

The Warhammer 40,000 series will debut in San Diego with a special preview book for sale at the Boom! studios booth, with issue #1 set for release in the month of October.

The first issue is by Dan Abnett and Greg Boychuk.

Here's how Boom! describes the book:

"Warhammer 40,000 is set in a dark, forbidding, future, ravaged by thousands of years of conflict. Across this gothic universe armies struggle for victory in a battle to the death. Foremost among Humanityıs defenders are the fearless Space Marines: genetically engineered super-warriors who are armed with the best weapons available. Supporting them are the vast armies of the Emperor, made up of legions of men and the tanks of the Imperial Guard. Against these loyal troops are ranged the alien armies of the Tau, savage Orks, enigmatic Eldar and unfathomable Tyranids. And always, lurking in the shadows, there is the unholy taint of Chaos: once-loyal Space Marines now turned traitor and in the service of the unspeakable Daemon Lords of Chaos."

MARVEL CIVIL WAR SECOND PRINTINGS

Marvel Comics announced on Monday that is going back to press on three Civil War tie-in books: Civil War; Front Line #1, Wolverine #43 and X-Factor #8.

Civil War: Front Line #1 and Wolverine #43 will feature the thematic ³interior shot² covers, and the X-Factor #8 second printing will receive an all-new cover from interior artist Dennis Calero.

All three books are scheduled to be in stores on August 23. Click on the thumbnails for larger images of the new covers.

Marvel also reported that second printings of Amazing Spider-Man #532, Wolverine #42 and She-Hulk #8 have sold out.

ANT'S NEW ARC, WRITER

"Nineteen Ninety-Two," a new story arc in Ant, will reveal the truth about the hero, Image Comics announced on Tuesday.

* "This is what the series has been building up to," said Mario Gully,
Ant's artist and creator. "Questions put in place in the opening
panels of issue one are finally being answered. Why did Hannah
Washington wake up in a mental institution? Who is after her? And the biggest question of all: How did Hannah become Ant? The only place to find out is Ant #10-12!"

For the arc, Gully, who has been writing and drawing Ant, is getting a new collaborator.

"Erik Larsen suggested I work with an up-and-coming writer he was working with named Joe Keatinge," Gully explained. "He thought Joe could help me sort through everything I had planned, and after talking with Joe it became obvious he was the one who should be writing the series!²

"I've been working with Joe for over a year now, helping him hone his craft and all that," Larsen said. "Joe is a bundle of energy and he has more ideas than 10 writers. He's been chugging away on a top secret project for me, and I thought he'd be a perfect fit for Ant."

"Whether or not you're already a fan of Ant you'll definitely want to check this out," Keatinge said. "As the title suggests we're going back to the very beginning of the Image universe to reveal secrets long hidden. In fact, Savage Dragon guest stars in a very big way."

The "Nineteen Ninety-Two" arc will begin in Ant #10 in October.

BRIEFLY

* Dynamite Entertainment has provided The Continuum a look at the four covers to Red Sonja #15 -- one by Steve McNiven, one by Jim Balent and two by Mel Rubi -- and Frank Cho's cover to Savage Red Sonja #2.

Both books are scheduled for September. Click on the thumbnails above for larger images.

* Top Cow Productions has released images of its upcoming convention special for Comic-Con International. Click on the thumbnails below for larger images.

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links. Click on the date to get the day's full report.